


To the highest bidder

by Strawmari



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Mild Smut, Organized Crime, Spoilers, ish, really just an excuse to write a date auction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:54:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23122078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawmari/pseuds/Strawmari
Summary: Beth showed Rio how their cash was made, but what if he wasn't the only one who found out?
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio, Ruby Hill/Stan Hill
Comments: 13
Kudos: 82





	To the highest bidder

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when sneak peeks drop on Tuesday and I can't stop thinking about the show ... bascially an excuse to write a charity date auction.
> 
> I don't own any characters/shows and any similarities to other ffs are coincidental. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy & thanks for reading!

It was a common trope in television shows, the silent auction where women bid on men's picnic dates. Never in a million years did Beth think she'd find herself at one of them, but here she was.

Rio and Mick got roped into the event by Lucy, they were more so blackmailed in return for her staying silent about the cash. Max had been chosen as the chairperson and was a couple volunteers short.

Lucy started to get suspicious when Rio hung around. At first she thought he was Beth's boyfriend, but then he bought paper porcupine from Dorthy at her lowest sales price (she wanted to retire) and something didn't add up. Lucy put on her detective cap and dug through the dumpster, remembering that Beth and Rio always went to the backroom when they offered to close up shop. _"Go home to your birds, I'll close up"._

How had Lucy missed the signs?

She found a pile of shredded paper and that wasn't uncommon for a craft store, but she saw an eye on one of the slips and curiosity got the best of her. It wasn't until they went over to Lucy's house, asking if she wanted to make more bills for another gambling addicts fundraiser, did she pull out the terribly put together copy of their cash. It was a botched sheet, it printed unevenly and there was no way it was going to pass the verifier, so they cut their loss and shredded the whole sheet.

Well, Lucy put two and two together realizing that Rio buying the shop wasn't a coincidence.

"I'll handle it".

"Rio...we need her" Beth tried to reason, seeing his jaw rock with irritation. His go to was always to kill someone, clean up the mess and pretend all the issues had gone away. That's what he tried to do with her several times in the past and each time he'd find a reason not to, that's probably why Beth was bold enough to tell him what to do.

Beth pulled at his belt, "I'll bid on your basket".

"Is that right?".

She nodded, stepping out of her own pants. When they fell back into crime, they both knew it was a matter of time before clothes were shed and she was coming undone at his hands, sometimes quite literally. The girls didn't know, it was something she couldn't bring herself to tell them. At first it was an accident, it was supposed to be a Sunday meetup, but two bourbons later Beth found herself waking up against his chest. They both agreed it was a mistake, and then repeated it four more times before admitting that they just wanted to have sex.

The girls had been vocal about the first time, back when Annie realized the prolonged stare was something other than distrust, Beth was just glad neither of them caught him holding her hand. He never brought that up and it confused the hell out of Beth, that didn't mean it didn't make her flustered.

Beth reached around, unhooking her bra, letting it fall at her feet. Slowly she made her way to his bed, sliding back against the headboard, parting her legs as an invitation. Over the past two weeks, at least when Dean and Rhea had their respective kids, she was at his place. It grew on her. The collection of model airplanes that he built with Marcus, the kitchen of her dreams and she couldn't forget the small garden in the back he once let Danny pick tomatoes out of.

He didn't bother with the buttons, pulling the two halves of his shirt apart, a few stray buttons shooting across the room, "you better".

Rio settled between her legs, a whimper escaped as his tongue brushed her clit.

He slipped in a finger, lifting his head to make eye contact. "Whatcha think for the picnic shit?".

"Hm? ..oh god".

The stupid charity thing was the last thing on her mind and the smirk on Rio's face told her he knew that. In went another and Beth grinded against them, the pressure building in her stomach. "Rio...I…".

"You what, Elizabeth?".

He leaned down, sucking as his fingers pumped into her. "I...fuck". Her body twitched, feeling his hands on her thighs, keeping them apart as he refused to let up.

_______________________________

Beth sat up, pulling him into a kiss. It was usually sex followed by some cuddling, then one of them would gather their things and go home. Today was different, there were feelings mixed with who knew what, but Beth was going to let herself enjoy it and when he kissed her back, it felt right. 

Her hand slipped between their bodies, stroking him, he growled into her mouth. Beth pulled back, but not away, their breath mixing. "Bourbon, for your basket".

______________________________

The theme was a night in Vegas, complete with large guitars and green paddles. It was one thing to be forced there against their will, it was another to have nothing but Elvis playing on repeat.

"If I hear jailhouse rock one more time" Annie gritted her teeth. 

"Do not say jailhouse".

"Jailhouse".

Beth's shoulders bounced with laughter, the conversation about jail wine came to mind. They looked around for the boys, finding them just inside the door. They were both dressed head to toe in black, a cigarette was tucked behind Mick's ear.

"Yo", Rio stopped in front of Beth, drinking in her red dress, "you look good, mama". 

______________________________

The rules were simple, the basket had to include a date, a drink and a personal item. They ranged from romantic strolls to a trip to the local McDonald's, but none of the baskets so far screamed Rio. 

"What do you think gang friend's will be?" Annie whispered, nudging her gently in the side. "Guns, pills and a grocery store robbery?".

Beth didn't see what was wrong with that, a robbery sounded better than some of the dates she's been on since her divorce. 

"The next basket up for bid includes Legoland, a bottle of bourbon and a model airplane, bids start at ten dollars".

Beth picked up her paddle, that definitely was Rio's. She didn't want to seem eager, that would draw red flags from the girls, so she let a couple of the other women bid first. Then she saw Rio lean forward in his chair, looking her way and she raised it high in the air at forty dollars.

She let him sweat enough, after all, she told him she'd bid if he went through with it. Now Beth didn't know if he did it because she asked, or because he didn't want to do five to fifteen in FCI Milan. Well, he'd probably get life or worse if they pinned Turner's murder on him. Beth shook her head, they weren't getting caught.

A woman in the back bid fifty and Beth countered with sixty.

"Okay, sis, get over Deansie and under someone else" Annie chuckled, turning around to see if the other woman would up the offer. 

She didn't. 

Beth was thankful that Ruby and Annie never tried to know the man behind the criminal, it made it that much easier to bid without giving it away.

While she sat back and waited for the night to end, a basket caught Annie's attention. "A movie, vodka and cheese crackers".

"Shit, that's my soulmate".

Ruby laughed, still trying to figure out which man put a pair of fuzzy handcuffs up for auction. Her guess was the man by the bar, he was three beers down, probably drinking away his sorrows at the fact his basket only sold for ten dollars.

At the end of the day, the event really wasn't all that bad. Ruby got a few good laughs, Annie and Beth walked out with dates and they hoped that held up their end of the deal. They needed Lucy to start designing their fifty dollar bill stat, because if she didn't, Rio would handle it as he so eloquently put it.

"Hey" Mick said, tapping Annie on the shoulder.

She jumped, placing her hand on her rapidly beating chest, "god! hey?".

He never said much and when he did it was always to Beth, it usually followed the nickname he gave her, sunshine. 

Why did all their gang friends give Beth a nickname? Elizabeth, darling, honey, sunshine - they were collectively called ladies.

"So you free Saturday?"

Ruby choked on her drink, smacking her chest because what were the odds Annie would buy Mick's basket. They forgot he was in there, that Lucy wanted him to participate as well, they were so focused on the Rio portion of the evening. 

"I'll get back to you".

If that wasn't a sign she needed to swear off dating she didn't know what was. Annie hooked up with Greg when he was married, then she tried to seduce her therapist, which by the way was a result of Nancy blaming her for his transgressions. 

She'd willingly admit to being fifty percent at fault, but Greg was the one coming to her house for cinnamon schnapps and videos of unlikely animal friends, not the other way around. Dr Cohen agreed with her, he even had a few choice words for Greg himself. See, if he hadn't hugged her with both arms all of this awkwardness could've been avoided, now she needed to find a new child-friendly therapist. 

"Where's Beth?".

At the bar of course. 

Beth waved down the bartender, ordering a bourbon on the rocks, exactly what she was going to need before she confronted Lucy. She wasn't a bad person, none of them were, they just did bad things. It wasn't like Lucy wasn't getting a cut, they were paying her for the work she did, but she wanted to have morals and whatnot.

The stool next to her was pulled out and the sneakers were a dead giveaway that it was Rio, of course it'd be him. 

"Legoland was a nice touch".

"Yea?".

The bartender placed a drink in front of Rio, "thanks, man".

Out of the corner of her eye Beth noticed Lucy and Max talking, probably about what a success the night had turned out to be. They never meant for them to be on Rio's bad side, trust her it was not the place to be. Beth had a few ideas in mind if push came to shove, nothing too extreme, not like Mick chopping them into a million pieces 

"Think car man will switch you days?".

"Huh?".

"Legoland, wit' the kids".

He was serious.

Rio only got Marcus over the weekends, which really limited the days that they'd be able to hang out as a group. Beth already switched a couple weekends with Dean so Jane could play soccer with Marcus, it was almost easier when he was still living in the house. But once she found out he had sex with his boss, Gayle, as a way to get a promotion, she was finished.

_"You don't get to judge. Mr Neck tats gave you all that money, you did something for it"._

_"I earned it, Dean"._

The fight went on and on until they both gave up, they weren't in love with each other anymore, they were just staying together for the kids and that was just making them miserable. Beth wasn't even judging, she just wanted to finalize the divorce once and for all, she was already back with Rio (not that she'd tell Dean, he was still reeling from the failed hitman attempt that could've saved the family).

"I could change a Thursday and Friday".

Rio leaned in, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "cool".

"Are we interrupting something? Your boy wants to talk to you" Annie yelled, making the wise choice to stand by Beth. Knowing that Rio orchestrated the hit on Turner from the confines of a hotel room scared the shit out of them, they had no idea what he was capable of.

He finished his drink, giving one last look in Beth's direction before leaving to find Mick.

"Did he threaten you?".

"No, he's not going to hurt me".

It was that quick denial that confirmed what Ruby had been worried about, it wasn't just business between them. While part of Ruby was glad her best friend was getting some, the other half of her was terrified that it would end badly, after all she was the first person Beth called after shooting him. The hysteria in her voice as Beth recounted being kidnapped from outside her house, how Rio pulled the bag off her head and proceeded to ask her to kill a police officer, the chilling details were something Ruby would never get over. As long as Beth was being careful, that's all that mattered.

____________________________

"I'm sorry Beth, I just don't feel comfortable doing what you're asking me to do".

"Wait a minute, we had a deal".

_____________________________

It wasn't just their asses on the line, they were trying to save Lucy's life and she didn't understand that, Rio wasn't going to give her a second chance. The only person who got any leeway with him, was Beth, at this point Ruby was sure she had nine lives. 

They were sitting in Beth's living room, trying to figure out another way to get their graphic designer to cooperate. The deal had been Rio and Mick doing Max's charity date extravaganza, in return she would continue to design cash for them, how had she managed to complicate that?

"Ok hear me out" Annie scooched to the end of the couch cushion, "we take her bird and leave one of those...serial killer notes, you know the ones with the cut out magazine letters".

"You want to kidnap a bird?".

Ruby didn't want to add another kidnapping to her record, it was already as long as a CVS receipt. Plus, Boomer escaped from the treehouse and they had to do an all nighter with JT outside of quick cash, what the hell would they do with a bird?

"Do you have a better idea?".

Beth thought about it, "I mean, she does love her birds".

_____________________________

Annie volunteered to break in, she was shortest and felt it was only right after Ruby had to use her sauce arms in their previous robbery. 

She grabbed the crowbar from the backseat, funny enough it was the one Rio left at the dealership, the night he broke the windows out of the vette. That night was etched in Beth's memory for more than one reason. The way he yanked her panties down and took her by the sink, nope - she wasn't doing that right now.

"B, you can talk to me, you know that right?".

She tapped the steering wheel, of course she knew that, they'd been friends for over twenty five years. Out of the two of them Ruby was calmest about Rio, although Beth never answered her question on how it was. "Rio and I…".

Beth stopped, seeing Annie running out of Lucy's house with a bird in her outstretched arm. 

The youngest slid in the backseat and Ruby turned around, "tell me you didn't".

"Oh, I did...drive!".

_____________________________

"Babe, I thought I heard something chirping behind the old camping gear".

Ruby shook her head, taking the plate of lasagna out of the microwave. She had drawn the short straw and had to take the bird home. She didn't want it in the house, so Ruby left it in the garage, don't worry they grabbed a cheap cage for it.

"Is there a bird in the garage, Ruby?".

"Egg roll?".

**Author's Note:**

> Would anyone be interested in reading about the dates? I couldn't help myself with Annie & Mick haha.
> 
> Thanks again for reading & I can't wait to hear what you think!


End file.
